Touch in the Worlds - Return to the Beyond

9: Mercy Killings

Pip pip pip!

Here you go lovelies!

Enjoy with a cup of coffee! or not...your choice of course! :D

Caitlin, hope you like this!

***

Tanya's gorgeous face literally spewed joy as she greeted Alice and Jasper before approaching Edward, eyeing his arm around me. Well, he was going to need that arm to hug her back, wasn't he? I stepped away and Edward's eyes flashed to me, now a warm and sunny forest green, only the barest hint of gold flecks here and there. He was completely full on human food.

"Edward, long time since the last time I saw you," Tanya whispered and embraced him a little too closely to be strictly friendly. It was my turn to eye the way she was pressing up against him and I had good reason to. Edward eventually glanced at me and I folded my arms, blowing a stray strand of hair from my eyes. A whoosh of white cloud came from my mouth at that and I was happy to see that his eyebrows went up. I must've looked like a fire breathing dragon because the next second, he pulled away from Tanya, pushing her a good arm's distance away.

"You had promised to be back for another visit. That was nearly a year ago. However I'm glad for this show up." She waved a hand to the trio standing around us, her fingers still on Edward's arm. Was it just me or did she just actually stroke him?

"Tanya, this is Tulika," Alice said suddenly and Tanya's eyes snapped open wide as if she was being jolted back to reality, if that was even a thing for vampires.

"Hello," I said, trying not to sound rude.

"Hello, you're...human," she said and I tilted my head at the inflection.

"Is that a question or a statement?" I asked.

She opened her mouth, her hand still on Edward's arm and Alice moved to wrap an arm around me, smiling brightly, tugging me away as Edward, Jasper and Carlisle surrounded Tanya.

"You...what...?" I asked, for the third time.

Alice exhaled sharply. "It was necessary. It was Edward's and Jasper's idea. They think the less the Denali Clan know about you the more chance we'll have of confronting Laurent."

"Why aren't you all doing it now then?"

"He's not here. Apparently, he's wooing Irina and she's very taken with him. Taken him to hunt in the western woods or something," she muttered.

"You don't think...?"

"No, I don't see him or Victoria around our vicinity. Besides, Esme, Emmett and Rosalie know Laurent's scent. If he comes around, we'll know." She offered me her arm and I took it, narrowing my eyes as we began walking back to the manor.

"Edward's idea, you say," I prompted and she nodded, smirking.

The house was decorated as tastefully as the Cullen's. Only, while the Cullen's preferred colour, no matter how light, they only had monochromes. Like the room I was given by a cheerful Kate who said it was good to have a guest to stash in the heater room, the entire room was decorated in blacks and grays.

Alice and Jasper were given the room right across from me, I was sure Alice had something to do with it because Edward had been giving her odd looks from the time the rooms were decided. Edward and Carlisle were in the rooms at the end of each side of the hallway.